


The Other Side

by RowArk



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Angst, F/F, Family, Haunting, Swan Queen brotp, ghost - Freeform, ghost!Emma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:10:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8020441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowArk/pseuds/RowArk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU - Regina Mills wasn't expecting the call quite so soon, but when the adoption agency informed her there was a baby boy whose mother had been lost during childbirth waiting for her, Regina knew it was time, ready or not. What she wasn't ready for was an unexpected house guest from Boston to tag along, with some unfinished business to attend to. SwanQueen BroTP & DragonQueen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning, there is technically a major character death in this story, but since this is a story about a ghost, said character (it's Emma, I'm sure that's already obvious by the description) is still a main character throughout the entire story. She actually never appears alive in the story.

Regina let out an audible sigh of annoyance when her phone rang at the exact moment she was about to leave her office for the meeting she was already nearly late for. She hated to be late, and her assistant knew this, so Regina cursed under her breath telling herself the whole damn town better be on fire if Jolene was going to be pestering her _now_.

"What?" Regina snapped into the phone. She wasn't usually quite so on edge, but with everything that had been going wrong lately, she really wasn't in the mood for another crisis to deal with.

"I have a Miss French on the line for you," Jolene replied, apparently unfazed by her boss's lack of telephone etiquette.

"I don't know a 'Miss French' and have a meeting."

"I know. I told her you were indisposed but she said it was incredibly urgent. She said it can't wait, or the opportunity will be missed… whatever that means."

Regina rolled her eyes. What on earth honestly couldn't wait a couple of hours? She debated telling Jolene to hang up on this Miss French as a quick glance at the clock revealed she only had about thirty seconds to spare before she really would be late for the meeting - which she had called, no less - but a small nagging feeling inside her told her to take the call.

"Fine. Put her through."

Regina rapped her fingernails absently on the desk she was standing behind as she listened to the line turn to dead air, then a click, and then an overly cheery voice with a distinct Australian accent. "Hi! Is this Ms Mills?"

Regina frowned. She was used to being called 'Mayor' not 'Ms' and whomever this was on the phone clearly didn't know her, and now she was quite sure she didn't have time for whatever she was calling about. "Yes," she replied curtly.

If the woman on the other end caught the air of annoyance in Regina's voice, she didn't let on as she began to speak again. "Great! I'm so glad I caught you! I have some good news."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Look, lady, whatever you're selling, I don't want any."

"Oh!" The woman sounded surprised, and recovered quickly with a short laugh. "I guess I should have said who was calling; it's just been such a hectic day. This is Lacey French, from the adoption agency."

"Oh," Regina breathed, feeling suddenly like time had stopped, and inwardly kicking herself for being off-putting. Her heart pounded in her chest as she sat back down in her chair, the bravado knocked out of her as she nervously anticipated what the woman was about to say. She'd said it was good news, so Regina was sure it wasn't her application being rejected, but it couldn't be a baby so soon, could it? She'd only applied to adopt about a month ago, and they'd told her it could be several months, even over a year, of waiting. "I'm sorry… you have good news?"

"Yes," Lacey replied. "Well, possibly, if you're ready. Maybe something good can come from a tragic situation."

"Miss French?" Regina urged, hoping the woman would just get to the point.

"We have a healthy baby boy who desperately needs a home, as soon as possible," Lacey explained. "I know you were likely told it would be months, but this was an unexpected situation, and he's only four hours away, in Boston."

"Oh," Regina said again, suddenly aware of how much her hands were shaking. "Oh."

"I know it's coming as a huge surprise, so take a minute," Lacey gently urged her. "He was only born this morning, and he hasn't officially been discharged from the hospital yet, so if you're willing, you have some time to prepare."

"Yes! Yes, I'm willing. Yes… I'll just have to get some things… a car seat, bottles, formula…" Regina's voice trailed off as she thought of all the things she'd have to get immediately. All thoughts of the meeting were miles away now. She'd expected to have time to prepare. She'd expected a call at some point about an expectant mother wanting to put her child up for adoption, not a call for a child was already born.

"We have a nursery at the agency where we can keep him until you're ready, Ms. Mills."

"Okay, alright… um… what about the birthparents? Is going to be a closed adoption?" Regina asked, hopefully. She hadn't specifically said she'd reject an open adoption, though it wasn't what she'd hoped for.

"Birth parents aren't going to be an issue," Lacey said, the cheeriness suddenly gone from her voice. "We have no idea who the father is, and the mother… well, there were complications, and she didn't survive the birth."

Regina swallowed hard. She hadn't expected that, and though she didn't have a clue who this other woman was, she felt instantly guilty that she was about to be gaining a child at the expense of his mother's life.

"She was an orphan herself," Lacey continued, "no family on record, so the baby is currently a ward of the state. The adoption will be uncontested."

Regina nodded as Lacey spoke. "Alright, I just… I just need a few hours to get everything ready. Just a few hours…"

"He won't be discharged until tonight, possibly even tomorrow morning, so why don't you aim for tomorrow afternoon? There's no need to rush. He'll be released into our care until you arrive."

"Yes, alright, okay. Tomorrow, then."

Regina was still shaking as she hung up the phone, in utter disbelief that that conversation had actually just occurred. It took several moments for her to regain the presence of mind to remember the meeting she was absolutely late for now, and pick up the phone to call her receptionist to cancel, and that she'd be taking the rest of the day and the rest of the week off. She knew that wasn't going to be well-received, but she had more important things to worry about.

* * *

After a long afternoon of baby shopping, and an even longer evening of assembling baby furniture with the help of the young woman who lived down the street, Ruby Lucas, Regina had laid down for the night, only to get hardly any sleep. She felt like a child on Christmas Eve, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus, only the gift she'd be receiving tomorrow would by far trump anything her parents had managed to give her throughout the years.

The fact that she was estranged from her mother and her father had long since passed put a bit of a damper on the whole situation, as she'd really been left with no one to call to share the exciting news with. Ruby and her grandmother were one thing, but they weren't family or even overly close friends, and Regina found herself itching to call the one person who she'd once been able to tell anything to.

It had been three months since she and Mal had ended things, for good this time, she swore. They'd been on and off since college, but had never seemed to be able to find the right groove to make everything fall into place. Mal wanted adventures, and to see the world, and she hated being tied down. Regina wanted stability and a family, and she had finally come to terms with the fact that she likely wouldn't find that with Mal.

Throughout the years, she'd dated other women, and sometimes men, but she was never really looking for a _partner_. For her, no one would ever hold a candle to Mal, but Regina was desperate for a family. She wanted a home full of love and laughter and smiles, and she had finally come to terms with the idea that she might have to go it alone, and so she'd decided to apply to adopt.

From the moment she'd submitted the application, she was sure she'd get denied. Of course, she passed the interviews and the home inspection with flying colours, but she was a single woman and she worked too much. She was sure they'd deny her on that alone, and even still, as she lay awake in her bed in the wee hours of the night, she couldn't believe that she would be bringing home a baby - her baby - tomorrow.

In the morning, after a little sleep and a whole lot of caffeine, Regina couldn't sit still as she watched the clock, trying to decide when to leave. It was a four hour drive to Boston, and she didn't want to be coming home too late, so she finally opted to leave shortly after ten. The drive felt excruciatingly long, and she tried not to think about the woman who'd lost her life to make this all happen as she drove.

Finally, at just past two, she arrived in front of the agency, and after a few deep breaths to build up her nerve, she got out of the car and made her way up to the door.

"Hi, Mama," a woman with chestnut hair and a big smiled greeted Regina as she entered the building. Regina recognized her voice from the phone, but was momentarily taken aback that Lacey seemed to know who she was.

For her part, Lacey appeared to notice, and with a small laugh, explained, "sorry, I could just tell it was you by the look of terror on your face. Most new moms have it."

"Oh." Regina nodded, trying to force herself to relax.

"Are you ready to meet your son?"

Regina swallowed and nodded quickly. She normally could gain control of a situation right from the start, but this was so foreign to her that she found herself silently following behind Lacey, taking in the appearance of the building - from the cream coloured walls to the framed pictures of happy families that adorned them - as if it were her first time there. She realized right away that her apprehension was coming from the knowledge that this was the last time she'd walk down this hall, or any hall for that matter, as just Regina Mills. From here on out, she would also be somebody's _mother_.

And it was terrifying.

The fear was washed away by an overwhelming feeling of pure joy when Lacey opened the door to their destination, and inside was a crib holding a tiny baby boy. For the second time in twenty four hours, Regina felt like time had stopped, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears as Lacey stepped over to the crib and picked him up, turning to hand him to Regina.

"Oh!" Regina breathed, wondering if that was the only word left in her vocabulary today, since it seemed to be the only word she was able to force herself to say, as she took the tiny infant from Lacey's hands. He was much smaller than she'd expected, and in his soft blue sleeper, his weight felt like nothing in her arms. Her mouth dropped open in awe as she took in the little scrunched up face he made in his sleep.

Regina smiled as the baby made a small cooing sound. "Henry," she whispered, just loud enough for Lacey to hear.

"Henry?"

Regina nodded, still smiling. "After my late father."

"Oh. That's sweet. Henry's a good name. His eyes are blue, by the way" Lacey commented, "so far at least. The birthmother's were green, and, well we don't know about the father so we don't know what his will be. The mother - the birthmother, Emma - she was a blonde, and had no concerning medical conditions that we know of. We don't know her family history, obviously, but other than astigmatism, she was healthy."

Regina looked up in confusion. "If she was healthy, then why…?"

Lacey sighed. "From what we've learned, she came from a pretty rough situation. She was only seventeen, living in a group home, and the woman who runs it didn't even know Emma was pregnant. No one did. She kept it a secret for some reason, and never had any prenatal care. She had undiagnosed pre-eclampsia, unfortunately. She went to the hospital completely alone."

"Poor girl. She must have been so scared," Regina acknowledged. "What's going to happen to her now? To her body, I mean?"

"She's still a ward of the state, she never aged out, so the state of Massachusetts will pay for her burial."

"Would I be able to get the location of her grave, once you have it? For Henry, when he's older and inevitably has questions about where he came from."

"Absolutely." Lacey nodded, "I'll make a note in your file. Also… if you're interested…" Lacey didn't finish her sentence as she crossed the room to grab a cardboard box from a table near the door. She removed the lid and pulled out a white knitted blanket before stepping back over to Regina. "The woman who ran the group home boxed up a few of Emma's things, and she said she was especially fond of this blanket she had since she was a baby. If you're interested, I thought you might like to have it, for Henry."

Regina nodded absently as Henry began to squirm in her arms, and she looked down to see his eyes opening. "Well, hello there, Henry. I'm your Mommy."

* * *

The first few weeks with Henry passed in a blissful blur for Regina. It had all happened so quickly, and there was still so much she needed to get, and there were home visits from the adoption agency and sleep schedules to adjust to, but for the first time in her adult life, Regina felt like she had a purpose, and that was to be this little boy's mother.

Henry was eight months old when Regina began to notice something odd about him. More and more often, when she was playing with him or talking to him, instead of looking at her, he seemed to look behind her, laughing and giggling at nothing. Sometimes, he would babble to an empty chair or jump in surprise at nothing at all. On more than one occasion, she's seen him reach his arms up to no one at all, wanting to be picked up, and she was growing concerned that his eyesight was poor. All she knew about Emma, really, was that she had astigmatism, but Henry seemed to see things that weren't there.

Or, at least that's how it appeared to her.

So she took him for vision tests, and when those came back fine, the doctors began ordering up more tests and asking about family histories of mental illness that involved hallucinations and Regina was terrified and heartbroken thinking something was wrong with her little boy, and she didn't know how to make it better.

And that's how she ended up visiting Emma's grave site for the very first time.

"I know I have no business being here," Regina said, aloud, pacing in front of the plot that was only marked by a ten inch by six inch plaque on the ground that simply read EMMA SWAN. She'd left Henry with her neighbour Ruby Lucas for the day, opting not to tell her where she was headed, other than it had to do with Henry's condition, as she really had no valid explanation as to why she was _here._

"So here's the thing," Regina said, with a sigh, stopping her pacing and staring down at the grave before her. The grass was growing over it, albeit sparsely enough to indicate the grave wasn't that old. Regina wondered if she should have brought flowers. "The thing is… I adopted your son when you… I adopted your son. And there's something wrong and I don't know what to do. I don't have any of your family history. I know you didn't have it either, but… I don't even know why I'm here, to be honest. The doctors are talking about schizophrenia in an eight month old boy and here I am talking to a grave of a woman I never even met."

Regina pursed her lips and shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? That she would find the answer at Henry's dead birthmother's grave? She'd left her son with a sitter and drove four hours to talk to a ghost? Well, that would have been the case if she even believed in ghosts. Really she was talking to a patch of grass and she didn't even bring flowers.

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered. "I shouldn't have come here. I just… I just want to say…"

Regina shook her head again. What was the point?

* * *

By Henry's first birthday, the doctors were still stumped, and Henry's behavior hadn't really changed. He still babbled at no one and intensely watched things that no one else was able to see.

"It's probably just an imaginary friend," Ruby guessed, with a shrug, as they both watched Henry insistently try to hand his sippy cup of watered down apple juice to no one in the middle of the living room, and grow agitated when no one took it. "Kids have them, you know? He'll grow out of it."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "An imaginary friend? This has been going on since before he could even walk. And why wouldn't the doctors suggest that?"

Ruby shrugged. "They're probably being paid off by the pharmaceutical companies. They don't make the big bucks off a diagnosis of an overactive imagination."

"Well, I hope you're right," Regina said with a sigh. "But forgive me if I'm skeptical."

"Regina!" Eugenia Lucas called from across the room. "Let's get this boy into his highchair for his first taste of birthday cake!"

"My Gran did slave over it," Ruby pointed out, noting Regina's hesitation. Regina wasn't eager to give Henry so much sugar, and even though it was generally tradition, she was still convinced that one year was far too young for cake.

But with Eugenia Lucas involved, she knew there would be no winning this one.

"Mama!" Henry cried out, giggling and pointing at a stray balloon on the floor as Regina approached to pick him up.

"I see it!" Regina said back, excitedly. It was always exciting when she actually did see what he saw. "Are you ready for your cake, my little prince?"

Henry nodded eagerly, though Regina knew he had no idea what she was talking about. Still, she scooped him up and carried him into the dining room to strap him into his highchair, as Eugenia followed close behind, carrying the little cake she'd made especially for Henry's smashing pleasure.

Well, Eugenia insisted it was small. Regina thought it looked like way too much when it was actually on Henry's plate, but there wasn't much she could do about that as her little boy reached into the cake with both hands at once. It was mere seconds before his face was plastered in bits of chocolate cake and globs of blue and white frosting, but even Regina had to smile at the sight of his giant grin.

"Mama! Mama!" Henry squealed, holding out a handful of smashed cake in an attempt to share it with Regina.

"No, that's alright, sweetheart. That's all for you," Regina insisted, shaking her head as she continued to smile.

And then it happened.

Henry turned his attention to his right, though no one was standing beside him, and held out the same smushed up piece with a huge grin, and cried, "Emma! Emma!"

Regina felt all the blood drain from her face as her mouth dropped open and she turned to Ruby. "What did he just say?"

Ruby smiled through her confusion as Henry continued to repeat the name, excitedly. "Uh, it sounds like he's saying Emma? Who's Emma?"

Regina swallowed hard. "His birthmother."


	2. Chapter 2

"Regina. It's just a coincidence. He's probably just babbling."

Regina ignored Ruby's words as she stepped closer to Henry's high chair and leaned forward to be at his eye level. "Henry," she said, trying to keep her voice even as to not betray her nerves to everyone else in the room. "Do you see someone there?"

Henry just giggled and continued to look to his right. "Emma!" he said again.

"Where is Emma?"

Henry giggled and pointed toward the wall beside him, before frowning and looking back to Regina. "Emma go."

"Emma go?" Regina repeated. "She left?"

"Emma bye," Henry replied, turning his attention back to the cake in front of him.

Regina sighed and stood back upright. Henry's pediatrician had been impressed at how well Henry spoke at such a young age, but at this moment, Regina would have given just about anything to have him be able to string more than two words together in a sentence, and explain just what the hell was going on.

"Regina," Ruby tried again.

"How could that possibly be a coincidence?" Regina snapped, as she spun back around to face Ruby. The fleeting look of shock that flashed across Ruby's face wasn't lost on Regina, and she forced herself to calm down before she spoke again. "Of all the names in the world, how could he come up with that one?"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe he heard it in a cartoon or something?" she suggested.

Regina sighed. Ruby babysat Henry frequently, as she'd opted to take a few years off after high school before starting college, and Regina was sure Ruby must know as well as she did that there was no 'Emma' in any cartoon Henry watched. He barely even paid attention to the TV as it was, but Regina knew she'd remember hearing that name.

"Well, I mean, Regina what else could it be? Did he overhear you say it on the phone with the social worker?"

Regina shook her head as she turned back to Henry, who appeared to be more cake than baby at this point. She wished she could enjoy this moment more, but her stomach was in knots. "I've never talked about her on the phone. I haven't talked about her since the day I picked him up, and he was only a day old."

"Well, what else could it possibly be? I mean, it's not like she's a ghost or something," Ruby said, shaking her head. "Wait, you don't think she's a ghost, do you?"

"Of course not! There's no such thing. I just… I don't know. Maybe he some sort of connection to her?"

"So, you don't believe in ghosts but you believe your son has a psychic connection to a woman he never met?"

"She gave birth to him. There are things in this world we can't understand, Ruby."

"Wait! Wasn't your old girlfriend into that kind of weird stuff?"

Regina cringed. "Mal. Yes, she was, I suppose. She believes in all sorts of… other worldly things."

"Maybe you should call her?"

Regina raised an eyebrow at Ruby. "You understand that as my 'old' girlfriend, she's also my ex-girlfriend, correct?"

"So?"

"So what, I should just call her up out of the blue? Hey, Mal, we haven't spoken in years but guess what, I have a kid now and I need your advise on ghosts…"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, what else can you do?"

Regina sighed as she looked back at Henry, who was giggling as he smeared icing all over the tray of his hairchair. "I suppose I don't really have any other options," Regina agreed, finally.

* * *

It took nearly a week for Regina to work up the nerve to call Mal. Sha paced the floor of her living room, listening to the phone ringing while Henry napped in his playpen four feet away. He hadn't mentioned Emma's name since his birthday, but the rest of his behaviour had not changed, and Regina was convinced he was still seeing her.

Regina had done all the research she could on ghosts and spirits, but to a non-believer, it seemed like a load of crap, and she knew she was in way over her head. On one hand, the hopeful part of her mind wanted to believe that it was possible, since it meant there was nothing wrong with Henry, but on the other hand, the logical side of her brain told her it was completely ridiculous to believe in ghosts.

By the fifth ring, Regina was convinced that either Mal wasn't near her phone, or was actively ignoring her call, and she was about to hang up when she was stopped by a curious 'hello?' on the other end of the line.

"Hi, Mal," Regina said, somewhat sheepishly, really wanting to kick herself for not calling sooner.

"Regina. I thought that was your number. Hard to tell when you haven't called in nearly three years."

"Mal, please, can we not fight? I need to talk to you about something important."

That was enough to snap Mal out of her sarcastic mood, since despite everything, she still cared deeply for Regina. "Sorry. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I am… but there's something I need to ask you about. God, Mal, this is so awkward."

"Spit it out Regina. You've always been able to tell me anything. Or, at least you once were."

Regina sighed, and nodded, working up the nerve. "Right. I know. Um, this isn't about me, really. It's about… my son."

Regina braced herself for Mal's shocked reaction, but was shocked herself when it didn't come. Instead, Mal let out a small, mirthless laugh. "Yes, I'd heard you'd adopted a baby."

"You did?"

"Regina, just because you don't speak to me, doesn't mean everyone in Storybrooke has cut their ties with me, you know."

"Right, sorry."

"So what's wrong with your son that I could possibly be of any help with?"

Regina paused, unsure of how exactly she should word this. "It's… it's kind of complicated. I think… well, I suppose I should start off by saying that Henry's birth mother died during childbirth."

"Okay. Was she sick? Is he sick?" Mal guessed, when Regina paused again.

"No, well, maybe?"

"Regina, honestly, just tell me. If it's important enough to end three years of radio silence, then just get it out already."

Regina took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes… I think Henry's being visited by the ghost of his dead mother."

There was a long pause from the other end - long enough that Regina wondered if the line had gone dead - and then Mal burst out in laughter.

"Mal! This isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry," Mal said, breathless once she'd gotten her laughing under control. "But of all the things I thought I'd never hear from your mouth, that has got to be in the top ten."

"I know, but…" Regina let out an exasperated sigh as she watched Henry smiling in his sleep. "I don't know what else it could be. I've had Henry to see numerous doctors, getting his vision checked, other tests done… they're thinking Schizophrenia for crying out loud!"

"And you don't think that's it?" Mal asked, her voice calm and concerned now that she was picking up on the panic in Regina's.

"I thought maybe it was possible, but then… Mal, I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't witnessed it myself, but he said her name. More than once. I didn't have an explanation for it, but his babysitter put the idea of ghosts into my head, and now I don't know what to think."

"Well, I mean, there are ways of testing for these sorts of things," Mal pointed out.

Regina cringed as she nodded. She knew that Mal took all things magical and supernatural very seriously, and Mal knew that she very much did not. Despite the fact that Regina had been the one to call, she still couldn't help but think the very idea was preposterous. But still…

"I was reading online," Regina admitted. "A lot of it seems very…"

"Conspiracy theory level crazy?" Mal suggested.

"Yes. Exactly. But I read about seances and exorcisms and I'm just way in over my head, Mal. I wouldn't even know where to start. Do you think I should get a Ouija board and try to talk to her?"

Mal let out another short laugh. "No. Well, not yet. And you don't need to exorcise her unless you think she might be a demon."

"Oh, my God, could she be a demon?"

"I very much doubt it. Let's stick with the possibility of a ghost for now. Tell me exactly what's going on. Henry said her name? What else?"

"Well, he seems to see things that aren't there, and interact with a person no one else can see."

"And?"

"That's it. Isn't that enough?"

"Okay. So Henry is seeing something - or someone - and no one else is. Have you noticed anything else?"

"Like what?" Regina asked, sounding a little more desperate than she intended to.

"Things going missing, unexplained sounds, cold spots…"

"No, nothing like that."

"Damn, Regina, I told you to get a cat. Animals can sense these things, you know."

"Yes, I remember. But if I remember correctly, you told me to get a cat to curb my… what did you call it? Baby fever? Not to act as a live-in ghost detector!"

"Well, you never listen to me anyway."

"Mal, seriously. Can you help me or not? Because I found some seances online that I could try."

"Do not try a seance. Regina, I know you think it's all a load of crap, but it's not. You don't need to be messing with the spirit world and pissing off a ghost that's already taken up residence in your home."

"So what then?" Regina cried.

"Listen, I have some time off next week. I'll fly in to Maine on the weekend, alright? Just don't do anything until I get there."

"Okay," Regina agreed, hoping her voice wasn't betraying her nerves. Talking to Mal on the phone from the other side of the world was one thing. Seeing her face to face again was going to be a whole different ball game. "And what do I do in the meantime? I mean, is it safe to stay here?"

"Well, if the ghost hasn't done anything yet, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm sure she just has some sort of unfinished business to attend to that's preventing her from crossing over. We'll figure out what it is, and we'll help her out, and she'll be out of your hair before you know it."

"You're sure?"

"I've done this before."

"Really?"

"No. But I know people who have. It'll be fine."

Regina sighed as she hung up the phone, after a promise from Mal that she'd call the moment she booked a flight. Regina was quite sure she'd forget to call, but she knew Mal well enough to know that she wouldn't go back on her promise to come. It was Wednesday, and knowing Mal she'd be there by Saturday morning, if not Friday evening, so Regina knew she didn't have a lot of time to prepare.

She checked on Henry again before turning to head upstairs to change the bedding on the guest bed. She hadn't had anyone sleep there in over a year, and though they were over, Regina still felt the urge to try to impress Mal. Stale bedding just wouldn't do.

Regina pushed open the closed door to the guest bedroom, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she came face to face with a young blonde, standing in the middle of the room, looking panicked.

"Who the hell are you?" Regina demanded, taking a step back as she scrambled to pull her cellphone out of the pocket of her slacks where she'd deposited after ending her call with Mal.

"Don't call the cops," the other woman said, somewhat timidly, holding her hands up in an act of surrender. "They can't do anything anyway."

"What?" Regina's hands were shaking as she tried to flip open her phone and head for the door to get back to Henry at the same time, while also keeping an eye on the girl staring at her with pleading eyes.

"Please, don't exorcise me!" the younger woman cried as Regina neared the door, causing her to stop in her tracks and stare back with wide eyes.

"No…" Regina said, her phone all but forgotten and her voice barely a whisper. "You can't be…"

The blonde scrunched her nose up in an almost apologetic way. "Hi. I'm Emma."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

Regina faltered slightly, before steeling her resolve and tightening her grip on the phone in her hand. "Who. Are. You. And what the hell are you doing in my house?"

"I'm Emma," the blonde said again.

Regina shook her head. "No. You're not. Emma Swan is dead and I don't believe in ghosts."

"Really? 'Cause it kind of sounds like you might."

Regina clenched her jaw. "So you heard me on the phone, then? And what, thought this was the perfect way to get away with breaking and entering, hmm? Pretend you're my son's dead birth mother?"

Regina didn't wait for an answer, as she suddenly remembered that Henry was downstairs, alone, and this intruder may have an accomplice somewhere in the house. Without a second thought, she turned and darted back down the stairs, where Henry was still sleeping soundly in his playpen in the livingroom.

"You never said my name," Emma said, causing Regina to jump and spin around to where Emma now stood a few feet away from her in the livingroom.

"What?!"

"On the phone. You never said my name? How could I be faking?"

"How could you could you _not_ be faking! Ghosts aren't real."

"Yeah, no shit. I mean, I didn't think so either, but…" Emma paused, and motioned to herself, "here I am."

Regina shook her head again. "No. You're not… I'm calling the police."

Emma let out an exasperated sigh, and took a couple steps towards Regina as the other woman attempted to open her phone again with shaking hands. "It's a waste of time."

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, her voice raising an octave higher than normal as panic started to set in, when she realized the girl was stepping into her personal space.

"Nothing," Emma said, sounding almost dejected. "I can't do anything."

Regina was about to ask what that meant, but stopped herself as she watched the younger woman lift her hand, as though she were about to grab Regina's phone from her. Regina stiffened, and felt a chill down her spine as the other woman made contact with her hand.

Well, contact wasn't the right word. Regina watched in disbelief as Emma's hand moved right through her own. It wasn't a touch, but it was cold as ice, and the chill lingered even as Emma pulled her hand back to herself.

"You believe me now?"

For her part, Regina couldn't seem to find any words to force herself to say. She was aware of how wide her eyes had grown and how her mouth was gaping open, but she couldn't seem to move as her brain attempted to reconcile what had just happened.

"Take a minute," Emma said, gently, stepping back to give the other woman some space.

Regina shook her head quickly, clutching her phone so tightly that her knuckles were turning white, though all thoughts of calling the police were long gone. "No… this… you can't…" Regina stammered.

"Yeah, I know. But I am."

"How… _why?_ "

"Why?" Emma repeated, looking confused. "I mean, I died, so…"

"No," Regina shook her head, finally coming back to her senses a little. "I meant, why are you here? Shouldn't you have… crossed over? Or something?"

Emma shrugged. "No idea. All I know is, one minute I was in the delivery room, and then the next thing I knew, I was standing in a graveyard next to a stone with my name on it. I thought I was dreaming at first but… it went on for so long that I realized it was real. I don't remember what happened, but I mean, it wasn't that hard to piece together."

Regina nodded, absorbing the information. "Right. Yes. You didn't… survive childbirth."

"Yeah, I figured that out later," Emma said, shrugging again, though this time the action wasn't quite so nonchalant.

"So, how did you get from there to here? And _why_? Why are you haunting Henry?"

"I'm not trying to!" Emma insisted. "I don't really know how I got from one place to the other, honestly. It's kind of hard to control. At first, it was like I was trapped in one spot. I couldn't step off my own grave and it was kind of terrifying, you know? I thought I might be stuck there forever. Then, one day, I was just… here, instead. In Henry's nursery. But I couldn't leave the room and he couldn't see me."

"But he can now," Regina pointed out.

"Yeah. For a little while I was kind of travelling back and forth between the graveyard and here. It was getting old, so I wondered if I could control it, you know? I tried to focus more on Henry and after a while, I was here more than I was there. I haven't found myself back in that graveyard in months now."

"Okay. But that doesn't explain how he can see you. Or how _I_ can."

"Hey, I don't have a clue how any of this works, okay? I just know that one day he just… could. Babies don't have preconceived notions about ghosts and stuff, you know? So maybe that's why? And you never believed in ghosts before, and now you do and… well, here I am."

Regina shook her head again, vehemently. "I didn't believe. I don't… I'm not even sure I do now."

"Seriously? You want me to try and touch you again?"

"No. No, please don't. Just… I need some time to process."

For the first time, Emma gave Regina a knowing smile. "Yeah, I get that. I've been processing for like a year, and it still feels unreal. At least you have someone to talk to about it."

Regina felt a sick feeling in her stomach. Despite how unnerving all of this was, suddenly she tried to imagine what it would be like to be in Emma's shoes, stuck in one place, unable to communicate with anyone and with no idea what was going on. She couldn't imagine how terrifying that must have been, and yet here this girl was, smiling at her and reassuring her.

"You, um, you said you couldn't leave Henry's nursery? But you clearly are able to now."

"Yeah. The more time goes by, the more control I seem to have. I still can't get out of the house, but I can get into all the rooms now at least." Regina opened her mouth to say something, but Emma stopped her with a quick laugh. "Don't worry, I don't go in your bedroom and I don't invade your privacy, alright?"

"Thank you," Regina said, nodding. She had no way of knowing if that was true, so she supposed she'd have to take her word on it for now.

"So… um… your friend you called? They're not going to, like, exorcise me, are they?"

"Mal. And no, she's not. Apparently you can only exorcise demons."

"Oh. Good to know."

"She's still coming here on the weekend. She said you likely have unfinished business and we'll need to help you cross over. I guess what will be much easier now."

"Easier? How?"

"Well, because now we don't need to figure out what it is. You can just tell us."

"Right. Um, I could. If I knew what it was."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what your own unfinished business is?"

"No? I mean, I died at seventeen. Isn't, like, my entire life kind of unfinished business? I never accomplished anything, you know."

Regina sighed. "I don't think that's what unfinished business means."

"Well, you know, the thought did cross my mind, once I realized I was dead… so, I have thought about this, and I can't come up with anything. I mean, it seems like it would be Henry, right? But, you've already given Henry a way better life than I ever could have, so how can it be him? It's gotta be something else, but I don't really know how to figure it out."

Regina turned back to Henry as she heard him start to stir in his playpen. Moments later, he was up and beaming, but his eyes weren't on her. "Emma!" he cried. "Emma! Emma!"

Regina smiled as she watched Henry point at Emma. In spite of everything, Emma's presence meant there was nothing wrong with Henry. They had a lot of work to do, but at least her little boy was fine. "I know Henry," Regina said, surprising even herself when her voice cracked a little. "I see her too!"

Henry giggled, and seemed satisfied with Regina's acknowledgement as he sat down to pick up the toys he'd been playing with before he'd fallen asleep earlier.

"You told him to call you Emma?" Regina asked, turning her attention back to the blonde.

Emma shrugged. "I mean, you're his mom, so it seemed appropriate."

"You would have been."

"Yeah. But I'm not. Not anymore, anyway."

"You're still here."

"Kind of. But it would have confused him. And, you know, I don't know how long I'll stay here. What if I just up and vanish one day? It's better if he doesn't know who I really am, right? Maybe he won't even remember any of this."

"Maybe," Regina agreed, though suddenly the thought of Henry _not_ remembering seemed worse than the idea that they had a ghost at all. He deserved to remember that his birth mother actually loved him, didn't he?

"And, I mean, if your friend figures out a way to help me cross over, I could be out of your hair by this weekend, right?"

"Right," Regina said, quietly. It seemed silly to her, considering she'd just met this woman minutes ago, but suddenly Regina wasn't so sure she'd want her gone by the weekend. After all, it wasn't like she was some sort of vengeful spirit, she reasoned, and she kind of liked the way her green eyes lit up when she smiled at Henry, and the way Henry giggled and smiled back just the same.

What harm could come if she just stuck around a little while longer?


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey!"

Regina jumped in her seat at her kitchen island, coffee spilling from the mug in her hand onto the immaculate counter top in the process, and looked up to meet Emma's eyes as the blonde stood across from her at the other side of the island, unexpectedly.

"Sorry," Emma said, glancing at the spilled coffee for a moment. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright," Regina muttered, as she stood to grab a dish cloth from the drawer behind her. "Where have you been? You disappeared sort of suddenly the other day."

Emma shrugged. "Yeah. Sorry. I told you I don't have a lot of control. I guess I jinxed myself by saying I hadn't been back to the graveyard in months, 'cause I was just stuck there for two days."

Regina nodded, unable to hide the concern in her eyes as she studied the young woman's face. Emma had vanished from her sight mid-sentence in the living room not long after Regina had seen her for the very first time, and she'd spent the last two days wondering if she'd dreamed the entire encounter. She'd nearly managed to convince herself that she had, and yet, there Emma stood now, plain as day before her.

"So… it's Friday now right?" Emma asked, running her hands absently over the countertop before her. Regina could tell it was a concentrated motion, and she couldn't help but notice how Emma's fingertips passed through the surface ever so slightly. She wondered how much time she had spent practicing to make it look like she was touching something, so that Henry wouldn't become confused.

"It is."

"Uh huh. Your friend comes tomorrow, right?"

Regina sighed. She could tell Emma was nervous about this whole thing. "She's coming tonight, actually."

"Oh. So this could be my last day here, then? Is Henry awake?"

Regina shook her head. "Not yet. He had a rough night last night. Emma-"

Before Regina could finish her thought, Emma was gone again, but it wasn't the same as last time she'd disappeared. In the livingroom, Emma had faded away much slower, but this time she'd vanished all at once, and Regina wondered if she'd done it on purpose.

Moments later, she knew the other woman hadn't gotten too far, as she heard Henry's delightful cries of "Emma!" through the baby monitor. She sighed and dropped the dishcloth on the counter, without even cleaning up the spill, and headed in the direction of Henry's nursery.

"I swear I didn't wake him up," Emma said, with a nervous smile as Regina came into the room. Henry was grinning ear to ear, bouncing excitedly at the rail of his crib, holding up his arms to Emma.

"It's alright," Regina said, stepping over to pick up her son, knowing full well that Emma would have already if she could. "Look, Henry! Emma came back to see you again."

Emma's smile widened at Regina's acknowledgement, and she followed right behind her as Regina carried Henry out of the room to take him downstairs for breakfast.

"Is he heavy? To carry I mean? What does he feel like? His hair looks soft…"

Regina glanced at Emma as she strapped Henry into his highchair. "He's… getting heavy, yes. But I don't really notice usually. His hair is soft, and he's warm, like a little furnace."

Emma grinned as she looked at Henry, and Regina realized these questions must have been eating her alive… well, not _alive_ … this entire time. "So, you can't feel anything?"

Emma shook her head. "No. It's so weird, but… I've kind of gotten used to it? I mean, there are benefits I guess. I'm never too hot or too cold, I don't get hungry or tired. I never have to sleep."

"You never sleep?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. The thought of whether a ghost needed sleep hadn't occurred to her before. "What do you do all night then?"

Emma shrugged. "Not much. I can't turn the TV on or anything, so it gets a little boring. So I watch Henry sleep… sometimes I look out the window, but not a lot goes on around here. Sometimes I just wonder around."

Regina sighed as she placed Henry's breakfast on the tray before him. "Remind me, and I'll leave the TV on for you at night. It's the least I can do, really."

"The least you can do? You don't… owe me anything. I invaded your house, remember?"

"You gave me my son."

"Yeah…" Emma said, softly. "Do you think I'll miss him, wherever I go next? Do you think I'll remember all this?"

Regina turned and and looked at Emma, taking in the somber expression on her face. "I don't know. I don't know where you'll go next or what it will be like there, but maybe… maybe you don't have to go right now."

"What do you mean? I thought your friend was coming to get rid of me?"

"Not to… get rid of you. To help you cross over. But if you don't know what your unfinished business is, I think it's a safe bet that's not going to happen tonight."

"And you don't mind if I stay?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

Emma shot her a lopsided grin. "I guess not. But I'd feel better knowing that I'm not, like, an inconvenience or something."

"You're not. At least, you haven't been thus far."

Emma's grin shifted into a more genuine, almost shy, smile. "Thanks… for saying that."

"Of course," Regina said with a small nod.

Henry was happily eating his breakfast, shoving handfuls of cereal into his mouth. "He's so independent, he won't even let me feed him anymore," Regina commented with a small sigh, as she turned back to the countertop behind her and picked up her previously discarded dishcloth to clean up the coffee spill.

"You're going to rub a hole right through that counter," Emma pointed out, after several long moments of watching Regina attack the offending liquid.

"What?"

"Your counter. You're scrubbing it pretty mercilessly. I think you got the spill."

"Right." Regina nodded and folded up the cloth, but Emma didn't miss the way she still gripped it a little too tightly.

"I'm making you nervous, aren't I?" Emma scrunched up her nose, almost apologetically. "Being here, I mean? Like, haunting your house, or whatever… you say it's okay, but it's still weird, isn't it?"

Regina let out a long sigh, and dropped the cloth back on the counter. "It's… it's not you. It is a little strange, yes, but you're not the one making me nervous."

"Who is then? Wait, is it your friend? You're nervous for her to come?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

Emma shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "I went over a year without talking to anyone who could talk back."

Regina nodded. "My friend, she's… it's complicated."

"You make it sound like you two are ex-lovers or something… oh… oh my god! She's your ex, isn't she? You're… are you gay?"

Despite the fact that Regina's sexuality was not a secret to anyone who knew her, she still felt her cheeks burning up as Emma's line of questioning reminded her of when she was younger and much less sure of herself. She supposed it made sense, since Emma was still young and likely hadn't learned to be tactful.

"Bisexual, actually," Regina said, finally.

"Really?"

"Yes, _really_. Is that really so surprising?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I never thought about it. I mean, I've been here almost a year and I've never seen you date anyone. I thought maybe you just weren't interested."

"In dating? Emma, it's a little difficult with a baby, you know. Some things just… take the back burner."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"You didn't. It's alright. And you're right, Mal is my ex."

"And you're nervous because… you still have feelings for her?"

"It's complicated."

Emma smirked. "So, yes then."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Our relationship was… tumultuous at best. It's been a very long time since we've seen each other and I'm not sure how it's going to go."

"Well, you've got nothing to worry about. I got your back, Gina."

" _Re-_ gina," Regina corrected.

"Really?"

"If you want to keep staying in this house, then yes."

"Fine. I got your back, _Re_ gina."

Regina smiled and shook her head, turning her attention back to Henry, who had eaten most of his cereal but now was intent on throwing what was left onto the floor. She quickly removed the tray and set it out of his reach before he could make too much of a mess, since she knew she'd be spending his nap time cleaning up already.

The rest of the morning passed more calmly than Regina would have expected. Even though Emma couldn't physically help her with anything, she was able to keep Henry's attention for long enough periods of time that Regina was actually able to get everything done she wanted to get done before Mal arrived.

She knew she was going overboard. Mal had never been one to judge her on how perfect her home was or how put together she looked, but that knowledge did little to quell Regina's nerves. If she was being honest with herself, she'd never been happy with the way they'd ended things the last time, and she'd never really gotten any closure. Adopting Henry had done wonders for her denial, as having a baby to look after didn't leave her nearly as much time to sit around and wonder 'what if?', but now that Mal was actually coming, all those doubts and questions were washing over Regina like a tidal wave.

As the hours passed by, Regina found herself checking her phone often, expecting an incoming call from Mal to tell her she'd arrived at the airport. The more time that went by, the more anxious Regina became, until finally, just after she'd finished cleaning up from dinner, the doorbell rang.

"Is that her?" Emma asked, her curiosity clearly piqued.

"I don't know. She never called," Regina answered, offhandedly, as she headed to the front door. Sure enough, when she opened it, she was greeted by Mal, grinning back at her.

For a moment, Regina just stared. It really had been so long - too long - since she'd laid eyes on Mal. Her hair was longer, and appeared a bit blonder, likely lightened by the sun. Her skin was glowing with a light bronze tan and her pale eyes sparkled in the light of the nearly setting sun.

"Mal," Regina breathed, her voice all but lost to her. "I thought you were going to call."

Mal cocked her head to the side. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Yes!" Regina replied, more eagerly than she'd meant to, and stepped back to allow Mal to enter, reaching out to grab her small suitcase from her. Regina tried not to pay attention to how Emma was grinning at them, her green eyes darting back and forth between Mal and Regina excitedly.

"So," Mal drawled as she stepped into the house, "tell me about this ghost of yours."

A look of confusion washed over Regina's face as she set Mal's suitcase down and glanced at Emma, who was nearly on top of her, she was standing so close. "She's right… you can't see her, can you?"

"Can you?" Mal asked, clearly intrigued.

"I can, now. She's right beside me, Mal," Regina turned to Emma, who looked slightly let down. "Emma, this is Mal."

"You're shitting me, right?" Mal asked, the grin creeping back onto her lips. "No… that's not your style. You really see a ghost…"

"Yes. Her name is Emma, and... yes, I can see her."

"Well then," Mal said, nodding in the general direction that Regina had indicated Emma to be in, "things just got a whole lot more interesting, didn't they?"

Regina bit her lip as she heard Henry start to cry from his playpen in the other room. If the fact that she could see a ghost was interesting, she wasn't sure how Mal was going to react when she met her child.

But, the time had to come, and sooner was better than later, Regina supposed.

"Come on, Mal," Regina said, turning toward the other room. "There's someone else you should meet…"

* * *

**To be continued…**

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